Illini see path out of Big Ten cellar

By upsetting Northwestern on Saturday, Illinois conceivably could climb out of the Big Ten basement. But to do that the Illini still would need a little boost from Michigan State and/or Purdue.

The records of the other two cellar-dwellers, Penn State and Indiana, are identical to that of the Illini (3-7, 1-6). Michigan State (5-5, 4-3) is expected to win at Penn State, and Purdue (6-4, 3-4) is the favorite to win its home game with Indiana.

Although the Illini are cohabitants of last place, they are first in two of the conference's statistical categories--fourth-down conversions (8 of 11) and fewest penalties (37 for an average of 31.7 yards per game). Senior wide receiver Mark Kornfeld hasn't caught nearly as many passes as he did last season (13 in 10 games vs. 44 in 12 games) but he remains a go-to-guy in clutch situations. Eleven of his catches have produced first downs.